Kinsei-Do Corner - the Functional Fitness podcast with Coach Jo

In this episode, I sit down with Coach Lucas and we dive deep into the 2025 CrossFit Open workout 25.1! 

Whether you're a seasoned competitor or a total newbie, this episode is packed with valuable insights to help you tackle this challenging workout.

What You'll Learn:

Setting the Stage:

• A clear breakdown of the 25.1 workout, including both RX and Scaled options.
• Initial reactions and first impressions of the workout's demands.

Strategic Breakdown:

• In-depth strategy discussions, including pacing tips tailored for beginners.
• The crucial debate: When and how to switch hands during the dumbbell clean and jerks.
• How to approach the workout with a smart game plan.

Practical Application:

• Effective warm-up routines to prepare your body for the workout.
• Coach Lucas's personal experience with 25.1: What went according to plan, and what surprised him?
• Real-world insights and lessons learned from tackling the workout.

Key Takeaways:

• Pacing is crucial, especially for those new to the Open.
• Hand-switching strategies can make or break your score.
• A proper warm-up is essential for performance and injury prevention.
• Even coaches have to adapt when the workout starts.

Who This Episode Is For:

• CrossFit athletes participating in the 2025 Open.
• Anyone interested in learning more about CrossFit workouts and strategies.
• Individuals looking for practical tips on warm-ups and workout execution.
• People who want to learn how to adapt and learn from their workouts.

In this episode, I talk to Pirmin, an entrepreneur who recently uprooted his life in Berlin to go on a multi-month European adventure with his wife and young son. The discussion centers around how Pirmin has adapted his health and fitness routines to this new, more flexible lifestyle.

Pirmin explains that his previous life was highly structured around work, with fitness often squeezed in late at night. But after becoming a father, he had to rethink his approach. In the beginning of the trip, Pirmin felt "completely lost" trying to juggle everything. However, he quickly realized he needed to fall back on the habits and routines that had worked for him in the past.

The key was getting up earlier each morning to fit in a workout before his family woke up. Pirmin notes that he never considered himself a morning person, but found that with a bit of adjustment, he was able to make it a consistent habit. He also packed minimalist workout equipment like resistance bands and a yoga mat that he could use anywhere.

Pirmin emphasizes the importance of building in flexibility, acknowledging that with a young child, unexpected things will come up that disrupt the schedule. Rather than getting frustrated when a workout has to be shortened or missed, he's learned to let go of perfection and just do what he can. The mantra of "deciding what to suck at for a while" has helped him maintain a balanced perspective.

Nutrition has also required some adaptation, especially now that Pirmin is surrounded by the temptations of French bakeries and local wines. However, he's found that maintaining a few anchors - like his go-to lentil-based lunches - helps prevent things from spiraling out of control. Pirmin allows himself to indulge occasionally, but tries to be mindful and avoid letting it become the new norm.

Throughout the conversation, Pirmin shares valuable insights about the compounding effects of consistency, as well as the dangers of the opposite - how bad habits can quickly spiral. He encourages listeners to start small and build momentum, rather than striving for perfection right away.

Whether you're a busy professional, a parent, or simply someone looking to optimize your lifestyle, Pirmin's story and strategies provide plenty of relatable and actionable takeaways. His adaptability and resilience in the face of major life changes are truly inspiring.

In this episode, Adrin, a former Indonesian student, takes us on a journey through his unexpected military service in Singapore. We delve into the intense physical and mental demands of basic training, followed by a period of significantly reduced physical activity, mirroring the 'all-or-nothing' approach many people take with their health and fitness.

In this episode of Kinsei-Do Corner, we dive deep into the Hyrox experience with two incredible athletes, Wita and CJ.

We explore their training strategies, race day reflections, and their predictions for the future of Hyrox in Indonesia.

Plus, learn how to prepare for your own Hyrox race with valuable tips from our guests.

Don't forget to subscribe to the Kinsei-Do Corner podcast on Spotify or your preferred platform, and sign up for our monthly newsletter, Kinsei-Do Fitness Nuggets, for exclusive fitness tips and insights.

In this episode I speak with an old friend of mine from high school, Marisa, who I haven't seen or spoken to in decades, and it was a refreshing and at times brutally honest conversation about mental health, the ups and downs of parenthood and how to thrive in difficult and challenging situations.

In this episode I speak with tennis coach and former college level player Joan Valls about tennis, his journey in the sport and what he's learnt that served him well on the court and continues to do so in real life!

This episode is the first of a six part series with returning guest Coach Ryan Townson, and here we deep dive into programming and training planning for strength gains!

Leon is the co-author of The Daily Athlete (https://amzn.eu/d/09g5u3DA), a book very similar in nature to the very well known and possibly ubiquitous The Daily Stoic - a personal favorite of mine! - and in this conversation we talk about how he and his co-author Maximilian Breboeck developed and wrote the book and how the power of motivational quotes can inspire you, whether you're an athlete or not, to reach your goals and potential.

I found this conversation to be - unsurprisingly - highly motivating, and I'm sure you will too!

Side note: this is also the first video podcast episode featuring the brand new and super cool intro sequence by the one and only Adipradana, so definitely check it out on Youtube even if you normally listen to my show in audio only!

Welcome to Kinsei-Do Corner, your health and high performance podcast!

In today’s episode, I had the immense pleasure and honor of speaking to Dr Oliver Welzel, who is not only one of my best friends, but also a great father and husband, a brilliant dude with a PhD in physics and most recently, a cancer survivor.

In this episode, we dive in to the story of this "medical journey" as he called it, and you'll learn about the mindsets and practices that allowed him not only to survive this harrowing ordeal, but come out of it stronger and an (even) better person!

In this episode, I welcome back Coach Lucas for the fifth time to the show, and just as in the previous four times, we had a great and free flowing chat around various fitness and training topics.

If you’re a regular listener to the show, then Lucas will need no introduction. In this episode, we talk about his move back to his native Australia in 2022, how he went from somewhat of a "rockstar" in the Indonesian functional fitness scene to feeling like a beginner again amongst some of Australia's fittest athletes and smartest coaches, and the lessons he learnt along the way.